Chapter 147. Christmas Gifts
Days of preparation were not in vain. The Uma Musume who came as guests today all praised Berno's cooking.
Admire Vega ate several large bowls with her head down, and even Curren Chan, who had been maintaining a "bird-like appetite" act in front of Shuta An, couldn't help but eat until her stomach was round.
As for Oguri, Shuta An estimated, without exaggeration, that the tableware she used for dinner today was roughly equivalent to three dishwasher cycles.
"Thank you for the meal!"
Curren Chan was the first to clasp her hands, indicating she was full.
Dober then followed suit, and the two Uma Musume simply left the dining room and returned to the living room.
Dober poured Curren Chan a cup of red date tea, while she herself continued to drink dried tangerine peel water.
"Oguri-senpai is truly amazing," Curren Chan murmured with emotion.
"Indeed, she's always so positive," Mejiro Dober gently echoed, holding her teacup. "As the Uma Musume with the most fans, how could she not be so positive to be so adored by everyone? While there may be people with niche tastes, the vast majority don't dislike a sunny, uplifting presence."
"Those who say they dislike it are actually envious deep down,"
Curren Chan said. She had seen many such people. As a well-known Instagram influencer, her insight was no less than Mejiro Dober's.
"I once met a colleague who, with her main account, fervently praised my work under my Twitter posts, and then used a secondary account to attack my taste—"
Mejiro Dober shook her head. "At first it felt very disjointed, but then I realized it was normal."
"Curren has also encountered such people; society is truly complex," Curren Chan nodded solemnly.
What Mejiro Dober didn't say was that the person who helped her relax was the one sitting in the dining room.
After dinner and tidying up the dining room, once the dishwasher had finished all its work, Shuta, Berno, and Suzuka together organized the dishes and put them back in their proper places.
"It's time to exchange gifts with Trainer, isn't it?"
Agnes Digital was already rubbing her hands. She had prepared gifts for both her seniors and juniors, and Shuta had already given them out while accompanying her in the hospital.
In terms of the number of gifts, Shuta An was like her: for every Uma Musume attending this party today, regardless of whether they were members of Team Sadalsuud, he had bought Christmas gifts yesterday.
"I guess I'll bring out everyone's gifts first," he said, standing from the sofa. "If you want to open them, that's fine. I'll say it now: the gifts I prepared for you are all different."
"However, if you're hoping for handmade gifts, you'll be disappointed. I really didn't have the time to personally make Christmas gifts, so all the gifts I prepared for everyone were bought by me, after spending a whole day running around Tokyo."
After speaking, Shuta An left the living room, went upstairs, and prepared to retrieve the Christmas gifts from the study—
As for Oguri and the others' gifts, he had slipped them into their respective bedrooms while gathering everything.
Shuta An had to make three trips to bring all the other Uma Musume's gifts to the living room.
"None of them are particularly expensive, and I'm not entirely sure what everyone wants, so I just guessed from my own perspective and bought them. I hope you all like them," he said first, then distributed them one by one.
Curren Chan was the first to receive a gift.
After thanking him, she easily unwrapped it, revealing a small instant camera.
"I've seen Curren-chan's Instagram; recently, Curren-chan really likes posting film-style photos, so I thought this Polaroid Onestep would be perfect for Curren-chan"
Shuta explained.
"Curren loves this!" The gray Uma Musume hugged the gift box, quite satisfied.
But she didn't forget to hand over the gift she had prepared for the young man.
"Curren also prepared a gift for Big Brother!"
Shuta was not surprised by that.
It would have been surprising if Curren Chan hadn't prepared one for him.
However, he didn't open it right away; instead, he set it aside and continued handing out Christmas gifts to the next Uma Musume.
"Thank you, Agnes Digital, for accompanying Dober with Comic Market preparations all this time. I feel like this should satisfy you."
"Thank you very much!" Agnes Digital thanked him even before opening it.
After unwrapping it, her eyes widened. Inside the gift box was a digital drawing tablet.
"This way, Digital-chan can take on more creative work,"
Mejiro Dober said, clearly very satisfied with the gift.
Agnes Digital also didn't forget to give Shuta the gift she had prepared.
"It's a sketch I drew using Trainer's photo as the model!"
She stated what it was very directly.
"Oh~" The young man blinked, smiled, and nodded. "Thank you, Agnes Digital. I'll hang it in my study."
The gift Shuta prepared for Rice Shower was a refill for the 500-color colored pencil set by Felissimo from last year.
Over the past year, the set had added 60 new colors, and the young man used last year's receipt to buy all of them at once.
The gift Rice Shower prepared for her Trainer was a picture book she created under Mejiro Dober's guidance.
The main story was about Rice Shower's psychological feelings on the Stakes Race stage and her firm belief that she would not disappoint her Trainer and supporting fans on the Classic Race stage next year.
"I see Rice Shower-chan's intentions."
After browsing the picture book, Shuta met her gaze.
"For next year's Classic Race, I believe Rice Shower-chan will achieve good results."
Kurofune's gift was her favorite Wagyu gift certificates.
"Wow! Let's just have a Wagyu barbecue party with the gift certificates on New Year's Day!"
Kurofune immediately decided how to use them.
And the Christmas gift she prepared for her Trainer was a bottle of Bourbon whiskey from Kentucky.
Shuta didn't drink much, so he planned to find an opportunity to share the bottle with Kitahara and the others.
The gift the young man prepared for Admire Vega was not a doll, but a gift certificate and an application form.
Admire Vega's reaction also surprised everyone in the living room—even during dinner, she hadn't really changed her calm expression, but after reading the application form stamped with the Central Tracen Academy Student Council President's special seal, Admire Vega looked up, her face showing a surprised expression mixed with a hint of gratitude, which finally became a smile that everyone saw for the first time.
"Thank you, Trainer," Admire Vega said, her voice still calm.
"I remember Ayabe-chan once said she wanted a dryer, but high-power appliances aren't allowed in the dorms,"
Shuta explained after Admire Vega opened the gift box.
"So I thought preparing a shopping voucher for Ayabe-chan to choose any dryer, plus an approved dorm appliance usage application form, would best meet Ayabe-chan's needs."
As for application forms, as long as Shuta didn't write anything that seriously violated regulations, Rudolf would now stamp them with her eyes closed.
Shuta had also mentally prepared for Admire Vega not to have prepared a gift for him. But to his surprise, after Admire Vega showed her first smile to him, she took out a small gift box from her bag.
"I'm not yet clear on Trainer's preferences, so I asked my mother to help me prepare this Christmas gift. I don't know what's inside, because it has a seal saying only Trainer can open it,"
Admire Vega said, unusually speaking at length.
"Thank you very much."
Shuta smiled brightly, and after taking the box, he felt the gift inside was quite substantial.
After seeing Kurofune and the others off as they returned to the Academy, Shuta arrived home again at midnight.
He looked at the Christmas gift prepared by Admire Vega's mother, sitting on the coffee table, raised an eyebrow, and sat on the sofa, preparing to open it.
What met the young man's eyes was a bracelet, with a runic symbol at its center.
Having been made to learn a bit of occult knowledge by his mother, that was as far as he could recognize.
He opened his phone, searched for the pattern, and after comparing it one by one, found the meaning represented by the rune.
"Success and wealth, huh."
Shuta was very satisfied with the meaning behind it.
There was no instruction manual for the bracelet in the gift box.
He didn't know the price of the bracelet, but he could tell it was definitely not a luxury item that would make him feel a heavy sense of pressure after accepting it.
"Around 20,000 yen,"
Shuta said, touching the black mineral beads on the bracelet and judging in his mind.
"I'll have to prepare a similar return gift when I visit the Kondo family after the New Year."
—
As for Mejiro Dober and the others, Shuta's gifts this year were quite targeted:
Oguri received a year's worth of Jojoen gift certificates.
Dober received a Tokyo Gallery pass.
Berno received a custom OL uniform, though Berno thought the outfit was more suitable for evening wear.
And Suzuka received a round-trip ticket between Tokyo and Guangzhou.
"Ardan said that the Uma Musume at her coaching center are eagerly looking forward to guidance from a G1-winning Uma Musume. Suzuka's next Dream Trophy Series qualifier is in May, so she can completely go and relax, and see a world different from what she knows."
Suzuka was quite satisfied with that gift, and she planned to take Sunny Brian, who was currently running a coffee shop in the Minato district, with her.
After taking Oguri and the others for their first shrine visit on New Year's Day morning, Shuta returned home and took another nap.
—
Carrying a large cup of honey special drink purchased from a dessert shop outside the hospital, the young man entered the ward.
Tokai Teio was alone, watching a video on her phone.
Judging by the expression on her face, Shuta estimated she was in a very good mood.
"Trainer is here." After hearing footsteps, Tokai Teio paused the video and looked up. "Happy New Year!"
"You too, Teio. Happy New Year."
After placing the still-warm honey special drink on the table beside her, Shuta sat down and continued,
"For these two days, only I will be accompanying you. They all have their own things to do."
"Don't you have your own things to do, Trainer?"
Tokai Teio already knew, but she still couldn't help asking.
Shuta found the question a little strange.
"I'm on vacation now, so accompanying Teio is my job, which means everything else comes after this."
For example, in two days he would go to Kansai to visit Mr. and Mrs. Kondo, and on that day, Dober, who had finished her Comic Market work, would bring Rice Shower and Agnes Digital to accompany Tokai Teio.
"Accompanying me is your job, huh."
Teio repeated the line, her face flushed, and the young man felt the hospital stay had done her well.
"Speaking of which, she seems to have filled out compared to when she was admitted,"
Shuta muttered softly, using euphemistic wording.
"!"
Tokai Teio's eyes widened.
"I'll lose weight after I'm discharged!"
"Huh?" Shuta was startled, realizing his quiet muttering had been heard clearly. "It's fine. I think you look great as you are."
He carefully examined her, then noticed Tokai Teio pinching her waist and regretting her extra comment.
"Ugh—" Tokai Teio frowned and was already thinking about how to exercise in her hospital bed.
Entering the new year, Shuta also had important work to do—such as posting New Year's greetings on the Sadalsuud team's official account, and then, after a long time, posting some photos of the team's Uma Musume from the past few days for promotional purposes.
However, all these preliminary tasks could be completed in the hospital room, and Shuta also asked Tokai Teio for her thoughts on the team's fan engagement.
Few Uma Musumes disliked fan engagement—if Shuta needed an example, Stay Gold would be the first that came to mind.
That unlucky Uma Musume was still racing on the Twinkle Series stage.
Her main winning race was no longer the Aakan Lake Special, but only an ordinary Stakes Race, and a G1 victory was still far away.
Now, Stay Gold's image at Central Tracen Academy had gradually changed from a "delinquent girl" to an "unlucky fellow."
It was unclear whether that was a good thing or a bad thing for Stay Gold.
Shuta thought it was a good thing. Although "unlucky fellow" sounded unfortunate, the reputation of "delinquent girl" was even more harmful to Stay Gold's future on the Dream Trophy Series track.
"Even without a G1 victory, with Stay Gold's current popularity, getting an invitation to the Dream Trophy Series in the future shouldn't be a problem."
Shuta happened to be discussing those Uma Musumes who hadn't won a G1 but might still have a chance to enter the Dream Trophy Series someday.
Tokai Teio thought Twin Turbo and Nice Nature both had a chance, while Shuta suggested Stay Gold and Ikuno Dictus.
"Their goals are different from mine," Tokai Teio stretched. "My goal is to surpass all senior Uma Musumes and create a new high mountain for the juniors to climb."
"And Nice Nature and the others want to contend for G1 honors," Shuta continued. "Even if they can't win a G1, they still need to strive for a Dream Trophy Series ticket."
"Natie told me that compared to competing for a Dream Trophy Series entry ticket, she'd rather win a G1 and give a gift to everyone in the shopping district."
Tokai Teio pursed her lips.
"Speaking of which, it's a bit arrogant, but I agreed with Trainer's plan for overseas expeditions, and also thought that later—ah, next year, by then, I can relieve some of Natie's competitive pressure. Otherwise, facing me, who can't possibly hold back, it would be pretty difficult for Natie to win a G1."
"Although it sounds arrogant, it's also a fact."
Shuta An shrugged.
"It's good that Teio, you can understand the essence of that idea."
"To become the sole king of this current era, Teio is destined to shatter the dreams and wishes of many Uma Musume. Among the victims will surely be your friends. Although everyone says what happens on the track doesn't affect off the track, in reality—"
"Mejiro Dober-senpai told me that after the Triple Tiara Series, she felt embarrassed to hang out with Uma Musume of the same generation for quite a while, always feeling like she was the bad guy."
"Then I dragged her out for an expedition," Shuta An said with a pout. "When she came back, I saw that she went shopping with Kyoei March just as often."
"When Kyoei March won a dirt graded race before, her Trainer even thanked you, Trainer, saying that Trainer had given her some pointers,"
Tokai Teio interjected.
"I didn't give pointers, just a little insignificant advice. The final decision was still made by them,"
Shuta An said, not taking the credit.
"Let's get back to the main topic. Teio, you're destined to shatter the dreams of many Uma Musume. The Twinkle Series is mostly results-oriented, and I hope you can remember that."
The young man stroked Tokai Teio's hand and continued,
"Carrying everyone's dreams, Teio, you must step by step reach the pinnacle of your generation, so that the Uma Musume who lost to you can find peace. They just lost to the strongest Uma Musume in the world."
"Natie actually told me something similar," Tokai Teio scratched her head. "After the Kikuka Sho, she said that losing to me should have been very frustrating, but looking at my back as I crossed the finish line, she found she wasn't as sad as she expected."
"Because losing to such a strong Teio felt natural. That's what Natie said back then."
Tokai Teio imitated Nice Nature's tone and then sighed.
"Maybe she still hasn't found as much peace as she seems to have."
"So—" Shuta An hesitated slightly.
"So I need to work harder to help her truly find peace!" Tokai Teio grasped the young man's hand. "Trainer, give me a path to prove myself the strongest within two years!"
"Alright, I promise you."
Shuta An naturally already had a suitable race schedule in mind, though it would be extremely challenging for Tokai Teio.
"If she can conquer such a race schedule, aside from the minor drawback of not being able to run long-distance Twinkle Series races, Teio would definitely be considered to have surpassed Symboli Rudolf and Oguri," he muttered to himself.